Road Scholar: Concord man treads murky waters with road widening

Jim Holstein of Concord first felt the pinch a few years ago when three new houses were built just beyond his backyard on Kirk Road. Now he’s afraid the pinch is going to come from the other direction with the widening of Kirk Road chopping off about four feet off his and others’ front yards along the road, which has a wooded area right across the street from it.

The issue for Holstein is not about more houses closer to his property, but how those houses may have very well caused more water to drain into his yard when a good rain comes along. Now, he’s worried the same thing will happen in his front yard when the new road is complete.

“When I first moved in here in 1999, they told me there would be a little water out front,” Holstein said.

Well, now when it rains he gets a lot of water in his backyard, but luckily, as long as the power works, there is none in his basement thanks to his sump pump.

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Holstein wasn’t naďve about some of the water issues around his property simply because the back part of it and the left side of it were considered wetlands. However, he went from just having a little water in the lower parts of his backyard to getting a lot more after the construction of the new houses.

“You know, that just didn’t happen by itself,” Holstein said Friday morning while showing pictures of the water-filled yard taken by the Army Corps of Engineers. “One day I was on my lawn mower and my wheels just sank right into the ground.”

Now, when the new road comes into place, which does have several new drains already constructed for it, he fears the same water issue could happen in his front yard.

“They tell me it will help my water situation out front, but I don’t know about that,” he said.

One thing Holstein is pretty confident about is that when the new and wider road is completed he and his family will have to be a little more careful about pulling out of their driveway.

“It’s going to make it a speedway out here,” he said. “I just want to be left alone. I don’t want to hurt nobody.”

Hopefully, the road construction won’t cause even more water damage to his property when heavy rain comes. But whether it will or won’t, most certainly remains to be seen.

Twenty Percenter Award

Each week we take a look at a situation where a driver, rider or pedestrian had about 20 percent, or less, of their brains working, and the rest somewhere else. These are real occurrences witnessed by me while driving on the wonderful and varied roads in Delaware County. And, they will be an example of what not to do while driving, riding or walking.

Yes, it’s summer and construction projects are common. While it certainly can be an inconvenience, these things are necessary for maintaining our basic infrastructure. But sometimes, there could be a little better planning involved.

Part of Garrett Road is closed in Upper Darby and cars had to take a detour the other day. The signs directed traffic off of Garrett Road and onto Childs Avenue. Eventually it worked out OK. But the problem was that Childs Avenue is a narrow road and as soon as cars turned off of Garrett and onto Childs, there were two big PECO trucks sitting there blocking one lane of traffic.

Now, hopefully PECO was doing some emergency work that couldn’t be avoided. Hopefully, this wasn’t a matter of poor planning. Because it was not only a pain for the drivers, but a bit dangerous for the PECO workers as only one lane of cars could sneak by the truck.

Traffic Delays

I-95 – There will be intermittent lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday for pothole repair.

I-476 – There will be intermittent lane closures between Route 30 and US 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday for pothole repair.

US 1 – There will be lane restrictions between Farwood Road and Grove Place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday until December for bridge rehabilitation.

Route 252 – There will be lane restrictions at Evergreen Avenue and Palmers Mill Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. each weekday for road widening that will continue until December.

Chester – Concord Road is closed between Tilghman and Lincoln streets until July 2015 for bridge construction.

Darby Borough – Main Street between MacDade Boulevard and Cobbs Creek Parkway will be closed until Aug. 30 for trolley line replacement. Main Street will also have lane restrictions between Ninth and 10th Streets beginning Monday until Aug. 29 for water main installation.

Marple Township – There will be lane restrictions on West Chester Pike between Sterner Avenue and Raymond Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday for water main installation.

Nether Providence – There will be lane restrictions on Brookhaven Road at the Kershaw Road and Church Road intersections between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday for water main installation. Wallingford Avenue will be closed and detoured between Providence Road and Manchester Avenue between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each weekday until Aug. 1 for utility installation.

Radnor – Eagle Road will be closed and detoured between Paul Road and Radnor Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday for pipe repair. Old Eagle School Road will have lane restrictions between US Route 30 and Upper Gulph Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday until Aug. 29 for water main installation.

Ridley Township – There will be lane restrictions on MacDade Boulevard at the Valley Road intersection from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 7-11 for water main installation. There will be lane restrictions on MacDade Boulevard between Edgewood Avenue and Haverford Avenue from 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. each weekday until July 31 for utility installation.

Sharon Hill – Chester Pike will have lane restrictions between High Street and Clifton Avenue between 9 a.m. and 3 pm. each weekday until July 31 for water main replacement. Calcun Hook Road will be closed between Bonsall Avenue and Elmwood Avenue from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday until July 14 for utility installation.

Tinicum – There will be lane restrictions on 4th Avenue between Seminole and Second Streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday until July 31 for water main installation.

Upper Darby – State Road will have lane restrictions at Drexel Avenue between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday-Friday for water main installation. Bishop Avenue will be closed between Springfield Road and Baltimore Pike from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday until Aug. 1 for utility installation. Garrett Road will be closed between Morgan and Lansdowne Avenues beginning Tuesday until Sept. 30 for water main installation.